I have spoken a little bit already about how much of a dream Sydney was for us - for me personally, this had been somewhere I had wanted to go my whole life and got a little bit emotional seeing the Opera House and Harbour Bridge every morning! What I really loved about this city, though, was the hustle and bustle: it felt like a fun and funky place, there was loads going on, but it was friendly too.
Obviously the weather was glorious, and the nature - including white ibises (bin chickens!) and sulphur-crested cockatoos - were a huge novelty... we spent a lot of time admiring these super cool birds! But oh wow, the food! It definitely is not difficult to find something mouthwatering around every corner in Sydney - even if you're vegan!
Eating Vegan in Sydney
“Sydney in general is eclectic. You can be on that brilliant blue ocean walk in the morning and then within 20 minutes you can be in a completely vast suburban sprawl or an Italian or Asian suburb, and it's that mix of people, it's that melting pot of people that give it its vital personality." - Baz Luhrmann
Because Sydney is such an eclectic and cosmopolitan city, it doesn't matter what cuisine you fancy, you will be sure to find it - and not too far away! Though plant-based options are often a little more expensive here, we were impressed by the convenience: to be able to have exactly what we fancy, but vegan - and not modified anyway, just vegan by design, was really excellent here. Read on, then watch our video at the end of this post, to see the plant-based eateries that we sampled in Sydney, Australia - and, most importantly, how we rated them!
1st: Funky Pies
2/144-148 Glenayr Ave, Bondi Beach NSW 2026, Australia
We've already written at length about these pies in our Vegan Aussie Meat Pie in Sydney blog but wow, we are so happy to write about it again here! There was absolutely no doubt in our minds that Funky Pies was our favourite vegan eatery in Sydney: these were the pies of our dreams!
As British people we have high standards when it comes to pies, and Funky Pies exceeded every one of them! The pastry was perfectly flaky and really nicely baked, with a crisp but almost buttery crust on the base. The fillings were really generous and tasty: I was really impressed by the range of flavours that they offer. Not only can you get the traditional Aussie meat-style pie, with chunks of mushroom protein in gravy imitating the steak, but there are lots of innovative pie options too, influenced by world cuisine. Honestly, with this range of pies I could have eaten at Funky Pies every day - and really wish that I could have tried more of their selection!
Aussie pies are traditionally served as an individual pie for snacking, so you can buy your individual pie at Funky Pies for AU$8.95 (approx. £4.76, €5.43 or $5.99). For an individual plant-based pie of this quality, we thought this price wasn't too bad. They also offer a meal option, including your choice of pie and sides for AU$17.90 (approx. £9.58, €10.79 or $12.10), which again is pretty affordable for a hearty vegan meal like this one. If there was one place we would most recommend to people travelling to Sydney, it would be this one!
2nd: Joe's Sandwich Bar
292 Kent St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
We heard about Joe's Sandwich Bar while we were looking for the best places to grab a convenient vegan lunch in Sydney - and Joe's definitely is it! Situated in a bustling part of the city, we really enjoyed people watching here, as locals in their businesswear dashed up and down the streets, while other tourists soaked in the sun.
Joe's Sandwich Bar is a cute little shop offering a small range of tasty vegan sandwiches, with a limited number of extras, including drinks and plant-based cookies. In fact, everything here is completely vegan, and you can tell from the thoughtful range of wholesome fillings on offer here. There's absolutely no sad, plain and boring sandwiches here! These fresh sourdough slices is packed with different fresh ingredients, with sauces and garnishes that enhance the flavours of the fresh vegetable bases.
Mike chose the Chipotle Pumpkin sandwich, while I picked the Miso Eggplant. We both really enjoyed the flavours in our sandwiches, though we found the homemade sourdough bread a little too hard on the crusts (though the middle was soft and doughy!) In Mike's sandwich the pumpkin was sweet and the mix of textures was fun: he really enjoyed the combination of flavours, especially the really tasty pickles! My miso eggplant sandwich was really delicious too, I loved all the fresh veg along with the creaminess of the avocado and miso mayo. As well as being tasty, these sandwiches felt really nutritious and healthy - though we were very tempted to offset that health kick with a vegan cookie!
We found the prices at Joe's Sandwich Bar a little steep at AU$13.50 per sandwich (approx. £7.22, €8.14 or $9.13), making it pretty expensive if you also want to add on a drink and a snack too! However I understand that the price of artisan breads, as well as the vast range of niche and delicious vegetables and sauces in these sandwiches really do contribute to the cost - so it is understandable, albeit sad that we couldn't afford to taste these sandwiches every day!
3rd: Mother Chu's Vegetarian
367 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Mother Chu's Vegetarian was actually the last place that we ate in Sydney - we were looking for something filling enough to get us through an overnight bus journey, and delicious enough to help us forget that we were about to spend a night sleeping in upright bus seats... thankfully Mother Chu's came to our rescue here!
This friendly and homely restaurant is run by a lovely Taiwanese family; their menu is designed to be hearty and nutritious, as well as entirely meat-free. Most dishes on the menu are vegan too - and it's easy to check this on the menu or with the staff. They offer a wide range of vegetarian and vegan dishes, and it took us a long time to really narrow down what we fancied! Ultimately, Mike and I decided to share the crispy tofu with stir-fried vegetables, along with a portion of white rice and some spring rolls. The portion of crispy tofu was a really good size - it would have been far too much for one of us - and the vegetables were really crunchy and flavoursome. The vegetables added a little extra flavour to the subtle tofu, and the rice was light and fluffy. We were fans of the spring rolls, which were very tasty with that delicious spring roll crunch that we regularly crave!
Overall the food was good here, and kept us nice and full until the morning! If we visited again we probably would choose something with a bit more sauce, and probably a couple of contrasting flavours, but we were happy with our choices. The prices weren't too bad either: the crispy tofu was AU$25.80 for a portion that we shared (approx. £13.80, €15.56 or $17.44), while the white rice was AU$3 (approx. £1.61, €1.81 or $2.03) and the spring rolls cost $6.90 (approx. £3.69, €4.16 or $4.67). So for an authentic and affordable Asian feast, Mother Chu's is the place to go!
4th: Soul Burger
4 locations across Sydney
We were excited to check out this fully plant-based burger chain when we were in Sydney, and were really pleased when a visit to their Randwick branch fit really well into our plans! Soul Burger offer a really big range of vegan comfort food, including hot dogs, loaded fries, banoffee pies, and shakes, alongside their many, many burgers. When it comes to burger fillings, it's not just your typical imitation beef burger; their menu includes meatballs, battered 'fish', vegan eggs, 'duck', brisket, and loads more innovative options.
When we got to their Randwick branch, we were ready for some tasty junk food! Mike chose the SB Mac, while I went for the Buffalo 'Chicken' Schnitty from the specials menu. We ordered a portion of shoestring fries with aioli to share too. Mike's burger, an imitation of the Big Mac, was good - albeit a bit 'bready'! The beyond burger patty was tasty, with lots of crunch from the lettuce and onion. The vegan cheese livened up this burger, with a nice accompanying sauce too. My buffalo 'chicken' burger had a lot more flavour, with the patty coated in spicy sauce. I enjoyed the tender patty alongside the crunchy lettuce and soft burger bun: the combination of textures, alongside the spicy kick, were real positives of this burger. The shoestring fries were crunchy, and we loved the herb topping, but they were a little too salty for our liking.
Overall, Soul Burger offered a great range of comfort food, and it was brilliant to be able to have so much choice at a fully plant-based place. The flavours didn't blow us away, but we were really impressed by the innovative choices; when it comes to price, Soul Burger was a little more on the expensive side. Mike's SB Mac cost AU$16.50 (approx. £8.83, €9.95 or $11.16), while my buffalo 'chicken' schnitty cost AU$15 (approx. £8.03, €9.05 or $10.14), and the shoestring fries with aioli were AU$7.50 (approx. £4.01, €4.52 or $5.07). While that sounds pretty pricey, it's worth noting that Soul Burger have regular rotating specials (for 60 days) and an offer every day of the week. They also have a 5% members discount, and a 25% discount for your first order! I would definitely go back to try some of their other burgers - and particularly to try their shakes and desserts too, they looked incredible!
5th: Kindness Vegan
Republic 2 Court Yard, 6/248 Palmer St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010, Australia
Kindness Vegan was really conveniently located for the hostel we were staying at, so on a warm, quiet evening in Sydney we decided to give it a try. This was a really exciting place for us because, having come straight from the light and healthy cuisine of Asia into the more junk-food heavy Australian fare, we were really fancying something a little lighter again! We were missing Asian food!
The restaurant is situated in a courtyard area that has a great vibe, in a suburban area of Sydney. There were a few busy eateries around, but Kindness Vegan seemed to be the most popular, despite being fully plant based! Their menu offered a wide selection of different Asian dishes made with vegan ingredients, including the Rainbow Salad which caught my eye, and the Pad Thai that Mike ordered. We also treated ourselves to a couple of Iced Chocolates to drink - one of our favourite tastes of Asia, so we were very very pleased to get our hands on this, and it was delicious too!
When it came to the Rainbow Salad, I was really impressed with the dish aesthetically. There were so many different colours, and the presentation was impeccable. However, I was a little disappointed that the tofu that was supposed to be part of the dish was missing, and honestly, it was just way too flavoursome. Though I liked the combination of textures in the fresh ingredients, there was a lot more spice than I had been expecting. Many of the flavours in the dish were a little overpowering: it felt like they were fighting each other on my tastebuds!
Similarly, the Pad Thai just didn't taste quite as good as Mike had hoped, though again the presentation was incredible: there is no denying that the food looks really great here! Mike found with his Pad Thai too, there was just a little too much flavour - this Pad Thai came spicy, which the dish usually is not. It wasn't light like a traditional Pad Thai: this dish felt a little heavier and greasier. It could have done with more beansprouts for that typical Pad Thai crunch, as well as something (tofu maybe?) to replace the egg.
Both dishes came in at a fairly reasonable AU$17.90 (approx. £9.58, €10.79 or $12.10). The portions were a good size, and contained lots of fresh ingredients, so we were pretty pleased with this price. All in all, though the food didn't quite hit the mark for us flavour-wise, it did look absolutely incredible: if you want a great social atmosphere, and Insta-ready dishes, Kindness Vegan have something to offer while you're in Sydney.
Where is your favourite place to get plant-based food in Sydney? Are there any new places or old favourites that we've missed? Leave us a comment to let us know (and others who might be visiting too!)
Recommendations
This section contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase via one of our links, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Where should I stay?
There are obviously a lot of places to stay in Sydney, so first of all you need to decide if you'd prefer to stay in the city or close to one of the popular beaches (Bondi Beach, Manly Beach and Coogee Beach are all favourites!)
There are tonnes of hotels, apartments and hostels available - for affordable places to stay with a choice of single, twin or dorm rooms, check out Wake Up! in Sydney Central or Bondi Beach. Or closer to Manly Beach, why not try Stoke Beach House, which offers complimentary breakfast and yoga sessions!
Tours & Experiences
There's so much to do and see in Sydney, and in this sprawling city can be pretty difficult to see everything if you only have a short amount of time. If you want to check out everything from the Rocks, the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, to Bondi Beach, and the CBD, with the flexibility of a 24 or 48-hour ticket, why not try the Big Bus Sydney and Bondi Hop-on Hop-off tour? Or, if that's not for you, check out some of the top-rated Viator tours below!
Comentários